Life Goes Speeding By

And sometimes you have to let it. Things have been crazy here for a while. First I got a bit sick again and had to go back on antibiotics, no big, just annoying that I want to be done and apparently the Lyme is not done with me yet. I am not a fan of drugs so the idea that I have to take these things for longer than the standard 7-10 days is difficult for me. Apparently 7-10 months is more likely, although we're at 9 now, and maybe longer the way things are going. Maddening honestly, and I wonder how many other people are mis- or un-diagnosed out there, ticking little time bombs, waiting for discovery. I hate deer. When they come through the yard I want to shoot them. I know they're not the only vectors. I could have gotten a tick off of anything. I was in the woods a lot. Heck, I live in the woods. But deer are the most likely source, so they've garnered my everlasting dislike, the poor things.

Then, just when I was thinking I really, really needed to get in here and blog, we lost our internet service - the dish broke. I discovered that I am indeed addicted to the internet. And now I am getting ready to head off on vacation, but I wanted to share a few things with you before I left, so you don't forget me!

First of all I did this pattern for Clover USA which you can download for free from their website. The socks are called Dresden.You can download the .pdf of the pattern on Clover's Make-It page. I love Clover. Ask my students. I have a thing for the Chibi and the bent foot tapestry needles and the locking ring stitch markers and...but I digress! Knit up a pair and tell us all about it!

Next, I am going to give you sneak peeks of the new book over the coming weeks. Today you get just a tease, a little taste of what's inside. First we need to thank wonderful photographer John Gruen for his amazing work on this book! Ok, ready?I love this image. When I saw this picture it took my breath away a little, I am not ashamed to say! The socks have names. On the left, from top to bottom are Seagrass, Wavelength, Twisted Baskets, The Keep, Raindrops and Helix. On the right are Peppercorn, Graphic, Ballet, Soft Waves and Kid Stuff. You'll learn much more about them inside the pages of Toe Up 2-at-a-Time Socks. I could gush about them now, but then I am a Sock-Mom, and we do that. We go on and on, waxing poetic about the compelling and complex twisted stitch pattern of Ballet, for example, and how the delicate cables of Helix make my smile every time I slip them on (I knitted the pair for the cover, and once done popped them right on my feet). I could tell you about how delicious The Keep feel in your hand, since they're knit in Malabrigo, or how the soft and subtle colors of Soft Waves, knit in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock in color Lunasea will make you want to head for the nearest ocean on a stormy day...but I'll save that for later.
You'll get a few more tastes and hints in the coming weeks - maybe after vacation when I post pictures of Mickey Mouse and socks all in the same day?
A couple of weeks ago I caught up with Kristen and Marley and Mary Alice at the New England Poultry Congress. I was half-heartedly considering trying to buy some birds. In the end we didn't bring along a cage, which was just as well. I didn't see anything that really caught my eye.Kristen thinks I need the Guinea sign. I think I may need both, although so far the boys are wonderfully well behaved. I am waiting until spring really gets here, then we'll see how their attitudes really are. If all four stay lovable I will be most pleased. If not, well, anyone with a mean streak can head into the freezer thank you very much! We ordered meat birds rather than hatching them out. With the book coming I am not sure that I want to be tied up with turning eggs twice a day, every day. Chicks I can handle!
This is a poultry oddity of sorts. It's called a Frizzle. Their feathers grow "backwards".Kind of strange. They look like chickens that had a bad run-in with a blow dryer. I don't think I'd want one, but I enjoy looking at them.
Today I came home to find this guy (or girl) lurking in a big maple across the street.Too close for chicken-mom comfort, but there's not much I can do. He has to eat, too. I'd prefer it if he stuck to mice, voles, pigeons...and left my birds alone. Chickens are really too big for a bird this size, but a bad winter will make them try anyway. So far with a mild winter I feel pretty safe from predators in the air.
The other day I came home to this.This is our killer cat, the one who was returned to the shelter after 24 hours when he "attacked" his adopter when she rubbed his belly. When I see him all sprawled out like this on Gene, belly exposed, I remember that and wonder how many misunderstandings between animals and people result in shelter returns or abandonments. The only misunderstandings we've had with him involve my obvious stupidity. He thinks he should be fed five or six times a day. I am too stupid to understand this. He thinks the papers in the recycle bin are toys. I am too stupid to tolerate this. He thinks he should be played with when he says so. I am too stupid to play. Just ask him. He'll tell you!
See you in a week or maybe a little more, with a new sock picture or two!